The efficiency of a vessel through a fluid medium, such as a boat through water, is inversely related to the rate of fluid flow. Highest efficiencies are attained where the boundary layer is laminar, efficiency and speed being known to deteriorate when the boundary layer ceases to be laminar and becomes turbulent.
A great many attempts to solve this problem have utilized specialized shaping of the vehicle structure such as slots and circulation control jets. In addition, various attempts have been made to reduce drag by the addition of a high molecular weight polymer. However, no polymer has been developed which is capable of attaining the drag reduction efficiencies of this invention.